Tradition Meets Technology: Protocol and 21st Century Statecraft

Posted by Capricia Penavic Marshall / January 22, 2012

Alec Ross, Senior Advisor for Innovation to the U.S. Secretary of State, responds to questions on his account during a Twitter Q&A session on January 19, 2012. The U.S. Department of State has designated January 2012 as 21st Century Statecraft month. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Ambassador Capricia Penavic Marshall serves as Chief of Protocol of the United States.

The traditions of protocol are some of the oldest in diplomatic history, and its practice has created the framework for international relations. On Friday, January 13, 2012, however, the Office of the Chief of Protocol hosted its first State of the Administration briefing of this year to talk about the use of new technology in diplomacy. The briefing featured the Secretary of State's Senior Advisor for Innovation, Alec Ross, and representatives from Facebook and Twitter along with His Excellency Dino Djalal, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia.

As an initiative of Protocol's Diplomatic Partnerships Division, the State of the Administration speaker series provides foreign ambassadors posted in Washington with opportunities to interact directly with senior members of our government who can provide first-hand knowledge of the administration's work and discuss some… more »

Posted under: Behind the Scenes

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Changing Society: The Power of Inclusive Thinking

Posted by Judith Heumann / January 20, 2012

Children swing on a playground in Frankfurt, central Germany, on May 11, 2008. [AP File Photo]

About the Author: Judith Heumann serves as the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State.

As a child, I had to sit on the sidelines as my friends played on neighborhood playgrounds that were not designed for wheelchair users. In those days, it probably never crossed the minds of playground designers that children like me were excluded. We were excluded, and more importantly, the problem continues for millions of children today.

The "right to play" is a universal human right enumerated in Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right to play is the right to rest and leisure, and with it the right to engage in recreational activities. It is important to recognize that play environments often do not sufficiently take people with disabilities into consideration in their design. The onus is often on parents to push… more »

Posted under: Policy

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Ambassador Cousin To Lead World Food Programme

Posted by Jonathan Shrier / January 20, 2012

Amb. Cousin walks through a marketplace in Bangladesh, Sept. 29, 2010. [Public Domain]

About the Author: Jonathan Shrier serves as Special Representative for Global Food Security (Acting).

We congratulate Ambassador Ertharin Cousin on her appointment this week as the next Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP). We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with WFP and the other the UN food agencies based in Rome. The WFP has a long and illustrious history of responding to the world's most pressing food and hunger crises, and under the energetic leadership of Ambassador Cousin, we are confident that it will continue its remarkable work as a leader of global efforts to eradicate hunger.

As the Ambassador to the UN food agencies in Rome, Ambassador Cousin has already worked closely with WFP, FAO, IFAD and other Rome-based international organizations and diplomatic missions to ensure… more »

Posted under: Behind the Scenes

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A Call to the “Innovation Generation”

Posted by E. William Colglazier / January 20, 2012

Dr. E. William Colglazier, Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State, celebrates the launch of the Innovation Generation with winners of the Conrad Foundation Spirit of Innovation Award, all students at Thomas Jefferson Science and Technology High School, in Washington, D.C., on January 19, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Dr. E. William Colglazier serves as Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State.

As the United States and nations worldwide work to build their economies within the context of the global marketplace, the ability to innovate is the most basic and essential underpinning. As I travel worldwide or meet with foreign guests in Washington, D.C., one of the most common questions for me is to describe the U.S. system which leads to innovation. What are the policies which support innovation and what are the practices on the ground which propel innovation? My response always touches on the need to invest in education and scientific research, to value and protect intellectual property rights, and to support a system which allows failures while celebrating success, which seeds promising ideas with funds, and which nurtures future innovators.

If the fundamentals are right, innovation proceeds, economies grow and solutions to tough problems, including energy… more »

Posted under: Policy

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Photo of the Week: Building Friendship in The Gambia

Posted by Amanda Brooks / January 20, 2012

First Lieutenant Matthew Suber plays with children while in The Gambia for Exercise AFRICA ENDEAVOR. [Photo by Captain Alden Y. Gilroy/ U.S. Air Force]

About the Author: Amanda Brooks serves in the Office of Art in Embassies.

This week's “Photo of the Week” was submitted by U.S. Air Force Captain Alden Y. Gilroy to the Office of Art in Embassies for the “Serving Abroad…Through Their Eyes” exhibition. Pictured is First Lieutenant Matthew Suber, who was serving as the Force Protection Officer during Exercise AFRICA ENDEAVOR, the largest communications exercise on the African continent. The Gambian Army hosted the event at Fajara Barracks, which is also home to many families of their soldiers.

Captain Gilroy describes the photograph: “Children nearby were playing near the exercise administrative building, and we went outside to visit them, and say hello during one of our breaks. The children always lingered near the fences curious about all of the foreign armed forces and beckoned for… more »

Posted under: Photo of the Week

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